Example Research Opportunities

Each student has a structured research experience. Students conduct research in collaboration with a mentor to complete a project that can be accomplished in an 8 to 12 week period. Students should meet with mentors at least once a week to review their progress on the project and to work on preparing oral and written presentations of their research. Each program site has a distinguished list of mentors who have agreed to participate in the program. Please contact the program administrator for details on mentors and research interests.

Health Services

• Sleep problems in older adults
• Quality-of care indicators for older women with incontinence
• Quality of care for elders with diabetes
• Geriatric diabetes guideline development
• Neighborhood influences on health for older adults with chronic conditions
• Measuring quality of care for vulnerable elders
• Fall prevention and management for older adults
• Perceptions of social usefulness/value as predictors of health in older adults
• Palliative Care
• Care giving of older Latinos and aging-related health disparities
• Cost-effectiveness and decision-analysis in treatment of older cancer patients
• Role of Comorbidity and functional status in treatment selection and outcomes in older cancer patients
• Use of web-based data collection methodology in oncology practices
• Physician-patient communication
• Functional outcomes of elderly trauma patients
• Cross-cultural issues in end-of-life decisions

Clinical

• Neuroimaging in aging and dementia
• Biological underpinnings of cognitive expression of brain aging
• Dementia/memory impairment
• Alzheimer's disease
• Cognitive Function
• Physical activity and relation to cognition
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Interactions between cerebrovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease
• Neuropathic substrates of dementia
• Sleep disorders in nursing home residents
• How different methods of scoring neuropsychological tests influence diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment

Basic Science

• Mechanisms of Neuronal Regeneration after Stroke
• Epigenetic Regulation during the Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
• Mitochondrial genetics in skeletal muscle aging
• Gene Action in Sarcopenia